Friday, September 11, 2015

Oh yes, it's that time again. The ebook for Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne is going to be on sale for $0.99 starting on September 10th to the 13th. So if you haven't read it yet, now would be the time to get it.

Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs. But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent—and darkly attractive—and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull. Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease. When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival—and vengeance—might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.

After learning the truth about her bloodlines, Kyra can’t help but feel like a monster. Though she’s formed a tentative alliance with the Palace, Kyra must keep her identity a secret or risk being hunted like the rest of her Demon Rider kin. Tristam and the imprisoned assassin James are among the few who know about her heritage, but when Tristam reveals a heartbreaking secret of his own, Kyra’s not sure she can trust him. And with James’s fate in the hands of the palace, Kyra fears that he will give her away to save himself. As tensions rise within Forge's Council, and vicious Demon Rider attacks continue in surrounding villages, Kyra knows she must do something to save her city. But she walks a dangerous line between opposing armies: will she be able to use her link to the Demon Riders for good, or will her Makvani blood prove to be deadly?

Livia Blackburne wrote her first novel while researching the neuroscience of reading at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since then, she’s switched to full time writing, which also involves getting into people’s heads but without the help of a three tesla MRI scanner. Her novel MIDNIGHT THIEF debuted with Disney-Hyperion in July 2014, and its sequel DAUGHTER OF DUSK came out in August 2015.

And now, time for the giveaway. Enter for a chance to win a prize pack from Livia Blackburn including an audiobook copy of Midnight Thief, a annotated paperback copy of Poison Dance, a early manuscript of Daughter of Dusk (with editorial marks), and book swag. This giveaway is International.

I have read awesome books and I have read terrible books, but Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne fell in between the two. The characters were alright, the plot I found to be a tad bit predictable at times, but overall it wasn't half bad. Kyra was an ok main character, but she was special with an ability that set her apart from everyone else, essentially making her a good thief because of it. She could climb walls—basically up the sides of buildings like she was some kind of squirrel on caffeine. Her loyalty was suspect, but some of her decisions and hesitations I understand considering the circumstances. Tristam was mildly interesting, I guess, he was a young palace knight who experienced tragedy which motivated him to do what he did in Midnight Thief—but I felt like he sort of lost his way, as in his judgment got a little clouded when Kyra was around. James…oh James *sigh* he was shady, and honestly I didn’t like him, period. I felt like he wanted Kyra to be something she was not. As I said before the plot was alright, but halfway through I figured out what was going on. The writing was pretty good with enough descriptions to hold my interest in the world. All in all Midnight Thief was pretty average for me, and I would consider reading another book by Livia Blackburne.

Friday, September 19, 2014

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

"He felt a tightening in his chest at the thought of abandoning his plans. But then, could he really join the road patrols with a clear conscience?"--Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne